


Word Doodles :: Alexa

by CoffeeCats



Series: Devil Went Down to Faerun and Related Lore [4]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/F, check work notes for a link to the main story!, little doodles that go alongside/with the main campaign story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2020-10-17 04:23:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20614946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeCats/pseuds/CoffeeCats
Summary: Vignettes about my character, Alexa. Some will be more backstory stuff and some later will tie directly into the main campaign, giving a bit of a scene from Alexa's POV.You can read the main campaign's story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286316/chapters/48090109





	1. Alexa I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where: Gilamoor // When: A few months before the campaign's start

“You could just go to the mages, you know.”

Alexa finished tightening the saddle’s strap and arched a brow at Meredosia across the back of her horse. She stood a few feet away, arms crossed, giving Alexa a look she’d grown all too familiar with. It was the look of “you are absolutely ridiculous and I don’t know why I put up with you” and Alexa found it adorable, much to Meredosia’s disappointment.

She walked around the front of her horse, giving him a little pat on the nose as she went. Meredosia didn’t move, determined to make her point, so Alexa wandered over to her.

“It’s winter,” Meredosia said.

“It’s _spring_,” Alexa corrected, ignoring that her own breath fogged in the cold morning air as she spoke.

Meredosia rolled her eyes. “It’s _barely _spring, and it may as well still be winter in the mountains that you are, for some reason, determined to ride though!” She moved, finally, stepping forward to put her hands on Alexa’s shoulders. “I just want you to be safe.”

Alexa sighed and pressed her forehead to Meredosia’s for a moment. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, but they were both stubborn enough they wouldn’t budge from their own side - Meredosia worried about the mountain passes, about bandits and thieves and wild animals; Alexa knew the winter had been hard on the smaller villages and thought it might be nice to bring a little cheer and music to them on her way to Onesi.

“I _will _be safe,” Alexa said. “Sinfen has those fancy shoes with the cleats, you’ve gotten pass conditions from couriers and from Phil’s own men, and it’s not like I’ll be alone on the road.”

“You have _one _escort.” It was another sore spot for Meredosia.

“I… well it’s more than zero.” It was a flimsy defense and Alexa knew it. Meredosia scowled, and she hurriedly added, “_And_ I’ve got armor and a sword that I can use now.”

Meredosia sighed. “_Alexa_…”

Horseshoes clopped against cobblestones behind them and Sinfen wickered a greeting to another horse. A quick glance back at the source of the noise revealed Alexa’s escort had arrived with his own horse and a packhorse carrying extra supplies for the both of them.

Meredosia placed a hand on Alexa’s cheek, bringing her attention away from the new arrivals and back to her. “Please reconsider.”

It was so, so hard to resist those sad eyes.

“Tell you what,” Alexa started, mouth ticking up into a soft smile. “I’ll make you a deal - I ride out to Onesi and come back through the mages. I’ll only be gone two weeks instead of three or four.”

Meredosia’s gaze cast up to the sky, as though looking for guidance or some sort of divine intervention, before returning a flat look to Alexa. 

“You are insufferable.”

Alexa laughed and gave her a quick kiss. “I know.”

Meredosia pulled her into a tight hug before stepping back and jabbing a finger into her shoulder. “Two weeks. And you better come back in one piece.”


	2. Meredosia I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where: Gilamoor // When: Several years before the campaign's start

“You realize she’s probably trying to con you, right?”

Meredosia arched a look at her brother across the table. He was engrossed in a set of reports looking for all the world like he hadn’t just spoken.

She shook her head and turned back to her own work. “She’s _ charming _, Phillip. All bards are. It doesn’t immediately mean they’re after something.”

His scowl was almost audible.

Pens scratched on paper for a little longer as they both carried on their work before Phillip slapped his pen down on the table.

“I mean _ four times _ now, Mer,” he said with an exasperated sigh. “Four times in eight months she’s been here. Gilamoor isn’t that centrally located and it’s certainly not big enough to warrant a proper Bard coming here that often. She _ wants _ something from you.”

It was Meredosia’s turn to sigh. “And what if she does? What sort of nefarious plot do you suspect she’s up to?”

“Money, no doubt. Or a political power play. Maybe she’s trying to get on your good side on behalf of some political rival.” He threw his hands up in the air. “Hell, maybe she’s a some sort of fae, here to charm the nobility and cause chaos.”

A small laugh escaped Meredosia and earned her another glowering stare from Phillip.

“Oh, come on. A sinister fae creature?”

“Anything’s possible,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I’ve been doing some digging and no one seems to know where she came from. For all intents and purposes, she just appeared out of nowhere one day and started playing major venues - no mentor, no college, nothing. I don’t trust it.”

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for it and, if not, it’s not like I haven’t dealt with people trying to play me for money or power before.”

She knew Phillip was doing his job, both as Captain and as her brother, but she didn’t need to be lectured on possible schemes every time they had an overly friendly visitor. She turned back to her papers, intending for that to be the end of the conversation.

A moment passed before Phillip spoke again. “I know that look, Mer.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Meredosia sighed and looked back up at him. 

“_W__hat _ look,” she asked.

He gestured at her face and eyes with the feathered end of his pen. “_That _look. Try to hide it all you want, but I know you like her.”

Meredosia scowled. “I do not. I just… enjoy having a performer in town is all.” She shrugged a shoulder and shuffled some papers around, decidedly not looking at Phillip. “It makes the townsfolk happy.”

“Uh huh.”

She stared determinedly at the page in front of her before scribbling on part of it. It was completely useless and she would have to redo the entire page, but it gave her something to do other than acknowledge her brother’s presence.

“Just be careful,” he said, resuming his own work. “Bards are nothing but trouble.”


	3. Alexa II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where: Denvale // When: 14 years before campaign start

Alexa’s stomach rumbled and a moment later the sound was echoed by a deep rumbling of thunder in the distance. She paused in her counting and glanced up at the ever-darkening sky. Hurriedly stashing everything into her violin case, she left the square she’d been performing in and made for a gazebo she remembered seeing just down the road. It certainly wouldn’t be perfect cover but it would be better than being soaked to the bone... again.

A gust of chilly air swept through as she hopped up onto one of the tables and pulled her thin cloak around her shoulders. Coins jangled as she pulled them from her violin case, counted them, and dropped them into a little purse. The sky rumbled again and the first drops of rain began to fall. She bit her lip, trying to do some mental math. Denvale was a larger city, and her performance had gotten her a bit more coin than usual, but… this  _ was  _ a larger city, and she knew everything would cost more. She was sure she had enough money for food, and might have enough for a night in a proper inn, but she wasn’t sure she had enough for both. Should she go for the food? Should she go for the inn? Could she try to talk her way into getting one for free?

“Excuse me?”

Alexa glanced up, pulled from her thoughts by a delicate voice. An elven woman approached from the outside of the gazebo, lowering an umbrella as she came under its roof. She had incredibly pale skin and even paler hair and the richest looking clothes Alexa had ever seen in her entire life. Glittering threads embellished the woman’s cloak and robes and Alexa wondered if they were threaded with actual gold and silver.

Alexa said nothing, unsure how she should speak to someone so wealthy and worried that silence was perhaps as rude an option as saying something wrong.

“I apologize for catching you by surprise,” the woman said with a soft smile. “I heard your performance in the square but didn’t have any coin with me at the time. When the weather started to turn I was worried you’d run off for good.”

She held out a hand and Alexa put out her own after a moment. A bright gold coin dropped into her palms and her breath caught in her throat as she looked at it. A gold piece. An  _ entire  _ gold piece. She clutched it close to her chest and looked back up at the woman, expecting her to suddenly realize she’d made a mistake in handing over the gold, expecting her to ask for it back. The woman gave her another smile, before turning to the rain and wind beyond the gazebo with a look of disgust.

“Dreadful weather, this is.” She looked back at Alexa. “Would you like to join me somewhere a bit more dry and warm? There’s a lovely little cafe across the square and I will admit I have something of a… business opportunity I’d like to discuss with you.”

Alexa took in the woman’s appearance again as she focused on the weight of the gold coin still clutched in her hands. Something about the situation made her uneasy. It brought up vague memories of her grandmother’s stories and warnings, though she couldn’t remember exactly what they had been about. Supernatural creatures, mundane thieves and criminals, metaphors for the general dangers of the world, perhaps…

A gust of cold air rushed through the gazebo, bringing icy rain along with it. Unease was overridden by the siren song of a warm cafe and a proper meal and Alexa hopped up, quickly grabbing up her violin case, which she held under her cloak as best she could. 

The woman’s umbrella unfurled and she made a noise of surprise as the wind tried to snatch it from her hands. She held it over the both of them as they left the relative shelter of the gazebo and hurried back across the town square. The cafe wasn’t far, but they both ended up wet from the wind blown rain and the puddles on the roads.

A tall firbolg behind the counter looked up as the pair entered and shook rain off their gear in the doorway. The woman raised two fingers and called out, “Two meals and a pot of tea, please.”

The firbolg gave a small nod and disappeared into the kitchen as the woman guided Alexa to a table near the fireplace. Alexa sighed contentedly as she sank into the chair. The cafe was warm and cozy and full of so many wonderful smells. She found it a little surprising that there was only one other patron, before realizing everyone else probably just went home. She shrugged her way out of her cloak and hung it on the back of her chair. 

The firbolg brought out their meals and tea just as the woman was doffing her own cloak and propping her umbrella up near the fire. She thanked him and handed over a small amount of coin without bothering to ask how much or count out a specific amount and Alexa wondered if she came here often or was just incredibly free with her spending. The thought brought with it a hint of jealousy that she immediately tried to bury with a mouthful of food.

“This is much better,” the woman said once she’d gotten herself comfortable. She cleared her throat lightly. “Now… I do believe the weather caused us to skip introductions. My name is Fabanise.”

“I’m Alexa.”

“Alexa,” Fabanise repeated. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Alexa nodded. “Did you say something about business before?”

“Ah, yes, yes. After hearing you perform earlier, I must say I am quite intrigued. Where did you learn to play? Did you have a mentor?”

“Um, no. I mean my grandmother taught me the basics but everything else I’ve just kind of… picked up along the way.”

“How long have you been performing? Do you and your grandmother live here?”

Alexa’s spoon plunked down into her soup as she glanced away. “Ah…. no. I… um… I ran away… kind of…”

“Oh… I’m terribly sorry,” Fabanise said. “You don’t need to say more if you don’t want to.”

Alexa shrugged one shoulder. “I thought I could make it big, y’know? But then I didn’t… still haven’t…”

Fabanise reached out a hand and placed it on top of Alexa’s, giving her a gentle smile when she looked up. Her hand gave Alexa’s a little pat before it pulled back again.

“You know, I like to think of myself as a sort of… patron of the arts, let's say. Always on the lookout for talented young folk like yourself who just need a little boost to get them going, get them connected to the right people.”

Alexa blinked in surprise. Surely this was a dream and not actually her real life. Nearly two years of streetcorner performances and barely making enough coin to survive and suddenly… it might be over?

“You…” she started, before trailing off into stunned silence for a moment more. “Are you wanting to be my patron?”

Fabanise shrugged, a curious look on her face. “In a way. I’ll certainly give you funds to start, but more importantly I can give you  _ connections. _ We introduce you to the right people, drop your name in the right circles, and you’ll find people clamouring to get your attention to play their venues, guaranteed.”

“Really?”

“Really. So… are you interested?”

Alexa nodded eagerly before the little voice in the back of her mind piped up again and she paused. “Is… is there a catch?”

“No catch. No fae tricks either, if that’s what you’re worried about. It may be an… unconventional deal for you, but you’ll be able to read all the terms and change them if you wish.” Fabanise answered as she pulled a parchment scroll and feathered quill from her bag. She unrolled it and started writing - quick, crisp letters in a language Alexa had never seen. 

The unease grew in Alexa’s stomach as minutes passed, the relative silence broken only by the occasional crackle of the fire and the rhythmic scratching of Fabinese’s quill on the parchment. After a time she sat straight again, eyes flicking back and forth as she reread her writing. Seemingly satisfied, she turned the parchment around and sat it on the table for Alexa to read. She waved a hand over it and there was a shimmer as the writing changed from the strange alphabet to elegant script in common.

Alexa carefully pulled her hands away from the table and clutched them together on her lap. It was now that one of her grandmother’s stories floated to the forefront of her mind. Not a story warning children of the trickery of the fae, but one of more sinister creatures.

“Are you… are you a devil?” Alexa asked, quietly, not quite looking up at Fabanise.

There was a pause. “I am.”

Alexa bit her lip, now  _ very _ unsure what to do. For all the various stories she’d been told, not one had ever said what to do if you  _ met _ a devil. They all just said “don’t” which was far less helpful than it had previously seemed. She glanced up, looking for the firbolg, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m sure I can guess what you’ve been told, but devils are not nearly as nasty as most people think, I promise.”

“Devils steal people’s  _ souls! _ ”

“Not steal. Nothing is ever stolen or taken through tricks or lies. Here, look.” Fabanise gestured at the parchment and used her quill to point sections out as she went. “For you - 500 gold, transport and a month’s lodging in Lehsari, and establishment of a minimum of four professional contacts, starting with the headmaster of the bardic college in Lehsari. Yes, it will be in exchange for your soul but there is no time constraint, which you’ll see noted here, so collection will occur upon death, whenever that happens of its own accord.”

Alexa read along, parsing the flowery language as best she could and it seemed to be exactly what Fabanise said. “But…”

Fabanise waited for Alexa to finish her objection, continuing only when it was clear nothing more was coming. “I promise you that it won’t change who you are. You won’t even notice. All it means is that your soul won’t be sent off into some unknown afterlife to be scooped up by some unknown entity.”

Indecision ate at Alexa’s mind and she felt like she was being pulled apart. Everything she’d been told as a child screamed at her to run - that this was some terrible trick to trap her in an awful fate. The rest of her was remembering the cold, hungry nights on the road and in town. Trying to find somewhere safe to sleep, trying to find someone who would take her to a new city without trying to rob her along the way.

“Can I have… a thousand gold?” she asked, hesitantly, trying to ignore the voice that told her to leave.

Fabanise laughed quietly as she pulled the parchment back and began making the amendment. “Of course you can.”

“And a horse.”

“Is that all?” she asked, pushing the text around with another magical shimmer and adding in the new condition.

Alexa gave one small nod. Fabanise spun the parchment around one more time, laying the quill down on top of it. “Read through it again if you’d like and then sign at the bottom please. There’s no ink required, but you may feel a slight sting in your hand.”

Slowly, feeling caught somewhere between terror and giddiness, Alexa grabbed the quill. She scanned through the document, trying to read it carefully but not really processing it through the cloud of conflicting emotions. She reached the end, saw the line and hesitated one last time as she lowered the quill to it. 

One last chance to run away.

The quill hit the parchment and she felt a small stab in her palm as she started to sign. The dark red ink of her shaky signature glistened in the firelight as she let the quill drop from her hand with a nervous giggle. She looked at her palm where she’d felt the pain but saw no mark or cut.

“Marvelous,” Fabanise said as she collected the scroll and the quill. “We can make for Lehsari as soon as you’re ready.”

Now that the moment had passed, Alexa found herself more and more excited by the idea of gold and recognition and not having to sleep outside. She opened her violin case, double checking she had the few possessions she owned. That done, she closed it and looked up at Fabanise.

“I’m ready.”


End file.
